Simultaneous Pancreas–Kidney Transplantation from a Donor after Circulatory Determination of Death: First Experience from India

Pancreas and kidney transplantation is now the standard of care for selected patients with diabetes and end-stage renal failure or life-threatening diabetic complications. There is a shortage of optimal pancreatic donors, and most donations are after brainstem death determination. Donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) is now encouraged to increase the donor pool. This report entails successful transplantation outcomes from a cadaveric donor of Maastricht IV DCDD in March 2024. Patient was followed for graft function using a departmental database. Pancreas and kidneys were retrieved from this donor. The donor’s one kidney and pancreas were transplanted to a recipient after taking informed consent explaining the risks. Intermediate-term average follow-up of 6 months showed good graft functions and patient survival. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography at 3 months showed well-perfused grafts and normal blood investigations. Organ shortage remains an ongoing, immense challenge in a vastly populated country like India. The deceased organ transplant program in our nation can be further improved by donation following a circulatory determination of death.